She walked into Parr’s class at the Riverside campus last fall 75 credits short of what she needed to graduate. Now she’s 1 1/2 classes shy of being caught up and eligible to graduate in June.

Ramona University, as Parr’s program is called, is the brainchild of former principal Susan Mills and Parr. It allows students to stay on campus instead of transferring to a continuation school or switching to an online program, with minimal supervision, to make up credits.

“It’s hard for kids to leave their home school, their friends and teachers to go to a continuation school,” Parr said. “But they are so far behind, they just drop out.”

Ramona U has been so successful, that versions of it have been introduced at three other comprehensive high schools in the Riverside Unified School District.

Across the Inland area, creative ways to help students lagging in credits abound.

OFFERING OPTIONS

Some districts, including Temecula Valley Unified, also let students recover credits at traditional high schools.

Chaparral, Great Oak and Temecula Valley each do so, but require students to follow guidelines. They can take only one credit-recovery class at a time, lasting from four to eight weeks, and no more than two per semester, said Joe Balleweg, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment.

Perris Union High School District students also can catch up at after-school or in-school programs at their regular high schools.

“What we’re trying to do is give the kids as many options as possible,” Superintendent Jonathan Greenberg said.

Saturday Academies do the job at San Jacinto High.

Students who are at-risk of failing attend Saturday sessions for tutoring and testing to earn grades and points that put them back in line to pass their classes, said Sherry Smith, assistant superintendent for educational services.

The Inland area’s largest school system, Corona-Norco Unified, keeps students on their home campus with Save Our Seniors.

Students can go to their own school during the day and take credit recovery courses at Lee V. Pollard High School, a continuation school, at night, district spokeswoman Evita Gonzalez said.

MAKING IT WORK

In Riverside, Mills said it was Parr who made the class work.

“Debbie stayed after work, came in on Saturdays, worked during school breaks,” said Mills, who is now an assistant superintendent at the district office. “She did anything she could to help these kids.”

Parr, who has been with the district 26 years, said each student has an individual schedule and she meets with them weekly.

“I manage their schedules. I make sure they show up,” Parr said. “I support them emotionally and socially.”

Some students face tremendous personal challenges such as the death of a parent, an unplanned pregnancy or working full time to help pay the rent.

“I hear some real horror stories,” she said. “Sometimes I have to step out of the class and cry.”

But it worked. The first year, 50 students were enrolled and 48 graduated, Mills said.

According to the California Department of Education, for the 2010-11 school year – the year before Ramona U started – Ramona had a 87.3 percent graduation rate and 2.4 percent drop-out rate.

For 2012-13, the most recent year for which data is available, the graduation rate had risen to 89.6 percent and the drop-out rate had fallen 1.3 percent.

TOUGH, TENDER

Lewis and her older brother Jordan Lewis, 18, an alumnus of Parr’s class last year said Parr’s tough but tender teaching methods and unwavering faith in their abilities helped them succeed in the face of what some considered insurmountable odds.

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